There's a certain responsibility saddled to the superlatives of the world. With Martell—the oldest of the great cognac houses—that onus requires the Maison to maintain its legacy while honouring its past. Since its inception in 1715, Maison Martell decided to set its sights back to where its heart is: home base. More specifically Martell’s historic family estate, the Château de Chanteloup, where creation of the new L'Or begins.
It's a tribute to Martell’s evocation of art de vivre (the art of living). The idea of just "letting things be" and there's no better example than the ageing of Martell's spirits. This time the process is in a partnership with a prestigious French château. With the blends of more than 1,400 eaux-de-vie from the four terroirs in the Cognac region, when it comes to the ageing stage, the liquid is usually aged in 300-year-old oak barrels at a dedicated cellar in Cognac. For this occasion, after the maturation process takes place at a dedicated cellar, it's completed at the aforementioned Château de Chanteloup.
Talking with Martell’s Cellar Master, Christophe Valtaud, we were told that a year into maturation, the flavour profile comes to fore. “The next château,” Valtaud adds, “will be completely different, in terms of the cellar’s condition, so the tastes would be unique.”
Only 1,000 individually numbered decanters are available worldwide, with less than 100 available in Singapore. Three more châteaux are planned for the next edition of L’Or de Jean Martell. On the palate, there are notes of iris and wild carnation that blithely coil around aromas of cherry and blackcurrant. A hint of spice lingers.
To contain such a complex cognac, it must be contained by a decanter of fine complexity. That’s where Baccarat, renowned for its crystal craftsmanship, comes in. The crystal decanter is shaped to look like a single drop of cognac. The decanter is topped with a 19-carat gold-painted neck that details the château the cognac is aged in as well as the limited edition number. A crafted wooden box is made for The decante. Housed within are also two stoppers, one is for transportation and one for display.
As the interview comes to an end, we can’t help but ask Valtaud, if Martell’s goal was to reintroduce art de vivre to the world, is there consideration to age the blend outside of France?
“We want to spend a little bit more time in France for now,” Valtaud says smiling, “because we wanted to create a strong product... but in the future, we might head outside France. Who knows? When it comes to art de vivre, it’s not relegated to the borders of France; it is a mindset.”
The L’Or de Jean Martell – Réserve du Château de Chanteloup retails for SGD9,888
